Fabian Hurzeler is the youngster manager in the Premier League with Brighton enduring an underwhelming season thus far.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool turn their attention back to knockout football this weekend as Brighton visit Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round.
The stakes will become clearer on Monday, when the draw for the fifth round is made live from Macclesfield ahead of their tie with Brentford. The draw will take place on 16 February, from around 6.35pm GMT, and Liverpool or Brighton will be in the hat as ball number one should they progress.
For Brighton, the trip comes at a delicate moment for head coach Fabian Hurzeler. A grim sequence of just one league win in 13 has fuelled relegation worries and sparked debate over the club’s heavily data-driven recruitment model, which some believe has left the German fighting with one hand tied behind his back.
According to the Telegraph, there is real danger Brighton could look to sack the German coach. It is claimed there is a realistic chance Hurzeler will not be in charge at the Amex at the start of next season, even though his contract runs to 2027,
However, the report asserts that Brighton’s hierarchy have opted against a dramatic change before the Liverpool game, with Hurzeler retaining the internal backing for now despite growing noise around his future and interest in him from clubs across England and Europe.
Meanwhile, Arne Slot feels like the story of the Seagulls has been similar to his side this season, saying in his pre-Brighton press conference:
“We play a very strong Brighton team because I think there are a lot of comparisons between Brighton and us. They absolutely don’t deserve to be in a position they are in at the moment, they play so much better than the league table shows. Almost every game they are competitive and deserve more than they get.”
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